


The Maiden Without Hands

by GeorgiGirl



Category: The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Amputation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Earn Your Happy Ending, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Marriage, Non-Graphic Violence, Pregnancy, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26605852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorgiGirl/pseuds/GeorgiGirl
Summary: A retelling of the classic Grimm’s fairy tale; starring characters from The Princess and the Frog.
Relationships: Naveen/Tiana (Disney)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. This is an experiment for me. I wanted to write something that was part prose, part comic script. Comments and critiques are welcome.

Long ago in a far way kingdom, there lived a miller and his family. (James, Eudora and Tiana) The Miller had fallen on hard times. All he had to his name was his mill and an old apple tree that grew out back.  
One day, he went out to cut some wood for the fireplace, when a strange man appeared from nowhere. (Doctor Facilier)  
Doctor Facilier: Morning! I hear you’re hard up for cash. Well I’m in a position to help you out.  
He told the man he would restore his former wealth ten-fold in exchange for “what you have behind your mill right now.” The man was so desperate by this point that he agreed. The stranger said he would collect what was his in ten years, and disappeared in a wisp of smoke.  
The Miller ran back home to find his wife looking shocked. All the chests and boxes in the house were overflowing with money.  
Eudora: I don’t know how this happened. Could it be a miracle?  
James: It must be because of that man I saw on the road. He said he would help us in exchange for what we have behind the house.  
Eudora: Oh honey! Tiana was out behind the house all day! He was talking about her! That man must be the Devil!  
For ten years, the girl grew more pious and more beautiful. When the day came to settle the debt, she washed herself all over and drew a chalk circle around herself on the ground. Then she stood there with her hands clasped together praying. When the Devil came, he could not get to her, for she was in a state of Grace.  
Doctor Facilier: This isn’t over girly!  
He told the Miller not to let his daughter wash herself for a week. Then he would come back. When he did, the Maiden wept on her hands until they were perfectly clean. Again, he could not go near her. Out of anger he went to her father and demanded that he cut off her hands, so that he might get the better of her.  
James: I- I can’t do that to my own child!”  
Doctor Facilier: If you do not do it, you are mine. And I will take you in her place!”  
The Miller in his terror agreed to do it. Then he went back to his family to tell them the dreadful news.  
James: The Evil One says I must cut off your hands or he will take me away.  
(He cups Tiana’s face in his hands.)  
James: I… I told him I would do it. But I can’t ask you to…  
Tiana: You don’t need to ask me Daddy. I’d do anything for you.  
And so…  
(Tiana places her hands on the table and screws her eyes shut. Eudora looks away crying. James steels himself and raises a big hatchet.)  
… the deed was done. And the girls’ bloody stumps were tightly bandaged. But when the Devil came a third time, she had wept so hard for so long that the wounds were cleaned and healed. So, the Devil gave in and forfeited all rights to her.  
The hands were buried under the apple tree. The Miller offered to care for his daughter and treat her as delicately as possible. But she told him;  
Tiana: I can’t stay here anymore. I need to go out into the world. The Lord will take care of me.  
That night, she had her maimed arms bound to her.  
(Tiana is dressed in the blue ballgown. Eudora wraps her in a white strait jacket.)  
And by sunrise, she set out on her way.  
She walked for two days and two nights, until she came to the castle of the King. By the light of the moon, she could see the royal garden filled with fruit trees. She longed to eat some, but could not enter since the castle grounds were surrounded by a deep moat. The Maiden walked back and forth, trying to find an entrance. And when she failed at that, she dropped to her knees and prayed for a miracle.  
Suddenly, an angel appeared before her (Mama Odie). She hit the water with the gourd she held and parted so that the Maiden could walk to the other side.  
Mama Odie: Come along child.  
She stood in the garden, and the angel stood there with her. She went to a pear tree covered in ripe pears and ate one hanging from a branch.  
Unbeknownst to her, the Royal Gardener (Lawrence) was watching her from behind a bush. Yet he dared not go near her or the Angel, for fear that they were dangerous spirits.  
That one pear was enough to satisfy her, and she went back to the other side of the moat.  
The next morning, the frightened gardener reported this strange event to the young King (Naveen, in his royal uniform).  
Lawrence: Spirits came into the garden last night! One of them ate some of the royal fruit with its’ mouth!  
Naveen: A spirit? On my grounds?  
Lawrence: Yes! Yes! One of them did magic on the water so they could cross! The stem is still hanging from the branch! I think they might come back tonight!  
Naveen: (smiles) Well, this I have to see.  
The next night, the King, the gardener, and the royal bishop all hid behind the bushes to see what would happen. At midnight, the Maiden again came across the moat aided by the Angel and went up to the pear tree. The three men stood up. The Gardener hid behind the Bishop, but the King strode ahead to meet them.  
Bishop: Spirits! What business have you at this castle?  
Mama Odie: SPIRITS?! Well I never!!  
Tiana: I needed something to eat. She helped me cross the moat. I’m sorry if this is unallowed.  
The King stepped closer to her.  
Naveen: What… happened to you?  
Tiana: It’s… a bit of a long story.  
(Naveen looks her up and down. Then he smiles and touches her arm.)  
Naveen: Come on. You can tell me inside.  
He took her into the castle. And two months later, took her as his wife.  
(The two of them stand in front of a church alter wearing their wedding clothes. Tiana is wearing a pair of silver gloves.)  
He made for her two silver hands that moved like real ones.  
(Close up of the silver gloves, covered in elaborate designs.)  
Both their families rejoiced at the union.  
(James and Eudora stand on one side hugging. Naveen’s Queen Mother stands on the other side wiping her eyes. Mama Odie watches everyone from the back of the church.)  
They loved each other with all their hearts, and were happy.  
But it was not yet Happily Ever After.

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most people think the wedding is always at the end of the fairy tale. Sometimes, it just the end of the first act.  
> Some people might see the events of this chapter as a 'magical fix'. I choose to see it as the fantasy version of 3D printing.

After a year, two things happened. First, the new Queen became pregnant.

(Tiana sits on a throne. Naveen kneels in front of her, rubbing her legs.)

Naveen: What do you think it’ll be? Boy or girl?

Tiana (laughing): Oh, it’s too early to make guesses about that.

Second, war broke out with a neighboring kingdom. And the King had to go lead his troops in battle.

(Naveen is dressed in army fatigues. He hugs Tiana and the Queen Mother.)

Naveen: You girls take care of everyone while I’m gone.

Tiana: We will. And you be careful out there.

Naveen: You got it. (to his mother) Makes sure she’s okay, write to me if anything happens.

Queen Mother: I will darling.

(Naveen and the troops leave. Tiana, the Queen Mother, and a tearful Lawrence wave goodbye with handkerchiefs) 

By and by, the Queen gave birth to a health baby boy. The Old Mother made haste to write her son and announce the joyful news. The messenger she chose (Travis the jester) ran until he was overcome with fatigue, and stopped to rest by a river.

While the man slept, the Devil crept up on him. (Dr. Facilier appears from behind a tree.) Seeking to injure the Queen, he switched out the message with one that read that the Queen had given birth to…

Naveen: A DOG!!??

(Naveen reads the message in a tent surround by soldiers. They are all looking at him.)

Naveen: How could she give birth to a dog??

Soldier: Maybe it was something she ate?

The King was troubled by this news. But he wrote back that the Queen and her child were to be taken care of until his return. The messenger went back the same way he came, and once again rested by the river. Then came the Devil once more, and once again he replaced the letter with one that said the Queen and her son were to be put to death.

Naturally, the women were shocked when they read this news.

Queen Mother (Holding the letter): This can’t be right!  
So, they wrote back to the King. But every message between them was intercepted by the Devil who substituted the true letter with a false one. The final letter stated that his Mother was to preserve the Queen’s tongue and eyes as proof that she obeyed. 

The Old Mother couldn’t bare to do such an act. So she had a slain doe brought in and cut out her eyes and tongue and preserved those. Then she went to the Queen.

Queen Mother: I won’t do the things my mad son has told me to do. But it’s too dangerous for you to stay here. I’m afraid you will have to leave.

The poor woman took her son and tied him to her chest. Then she left the castle in the dead of night with nothing but the clothes on her back and her silver hands.

She dared not go to her parents’ house for fear they would be punished for keeping her. So, she went in the opposite direction, traveling deeper and deeper into the wilds. As she walked, she prayed, and the angel of the Lord appeared before her once again.

Mama Odie: Come on Cher. I know just the place for you.

She led her down secret passages and enchanted pathways. Until they came to a house on the edge of the kingdom that was home to a young noblewoman.

The Noblewoman (Lottie) welcomed the Queen and her son, and treated them like family. They lived there for seven years during which time the baby (named Sorrowful) grew into a nice little boy. And just as the boy grew, the Queens’ hands (by magic or a miracle) slowly grew back on her arms. First; they grew as infant hands, then as a childs’ hands, then as adult hands, which were much paler than the rest of her body.

In the meantime, the King returned from war.

(Naveen stands before the castle gates.)

Naveen: Alright. Here we go.

His first wish was to see his wife and child.

Naveen: Is he really a dog?

Queen Mother: Very funny. I have the tongue and eyes you asked for.

Naveen: What?

The misunderstanding soon became apparent. They compared notes.

(Naveen and his mother read each other’s letters.)

Queen Mother and Naveen (together): I didn’t write this! 

They questioned the messenger.

Travis: I never opened the letters! I swear!

Finally, they consulted with the bishop, who concluded that something evil was at work.

Naveen I’ll go myself to look for them. I’ll search the entire kingdom if I have to. 

And so, he left, his Mother once again put in charge in his stead. He searched for his wife in every town and cave and forest. During this time, he neither ate nor drank, but survived with support from God. He grew a thick bushy beard, and his clothes wore away into rags.

At the end of the seven years, he came to the house at the end of the kingdom. The noblewoman greeted him at the front door and let him inside. 

Lottie: I heard tell of a wild man going place to place looking for his wife. I don’t suppose that would be you?

Naveen: Yes, that is me. I thank you for letting me rest on my journey.

She offered him some food, but he refused. He only wished to lay down a while. She led him to a couch, where he fell asleep with a handkerchief on his face.

(In another room, Tiana cooks some food while wearing her Official dress made from flowers. Her son, a little boy, hugs her skirts.) 

(Lottie comes in smiling.)

Lottie: I believe your husband has arrived.

Tiana: My husband?

By now, the story had come out how both royals had been deceived. Yet, she was still wary of meeting him again. She quietly went to where he lay, and saw that the handkerchief had fallen from his face. 

Tiana: Sorrowful, go pick up that cloth and cover your father’s face.   
The boy did so. The King heard his Wifes’ voice in his sleep, and moved his head so that the handkerchief fell again. 

The Queen bade her son to pick it up again, but the boy became confused asking;

Sorrowful: Mama, How can he be my father when I don’t have a father?

Naveen: You do have a father. And I am him.

The King got up off the couch and looked them over.

Naveen: You look like Tiana. But, your hands…

(Tiana holds up her pale hands.)

Tiana: God gave me these new ones.

(Lottie enters carrying the silver gloves.)

Lottie: I have the old ones right here.

(Naveen looks at the gloves, then back at Tiana.)

Naveen: I knew I’d find you.

(He and Tiana embrace. His rags are transformed into his green uniform. Lottie picks Sorrowful up and spins him around.)

They returned home and renewed their wedding vows. Their son was baptized, and the Noblewoman was named his godmother. Now they truly lived happily ever after. The sad, unfair things that happened to them only served to make them better people. They passed their love and wisdom on to their son Sorrowful; who grew up to be the best ruler the kingdom had ever seen.

THE END


End file.
